General data

  • Funded by the Horizon 2020 call: H2020-INNOSUP-2018-2019-05
  • Consortium: RCzech Republic (MSIC, coordinator), Germany (S2i) and Spain (Madrimasd)
  • Project duration: April 2021 –  March 2022
  • Budget: 50.000 euros

Resume

Innovation agencies often face difficulties in designing and implementing support programs with the potential to impact their most important clients, start-ups and SMEs. Monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment methods and tools that include the collection of robust data to evaluate the applied programs are needed to effectively support the distribution and decision to maintain the programs, redesign the offering and / or create entirely new programs that are better fit the needs of start-ups and SMEs.

The main objective of the EFFECT-SME project is to improve the quality of innovation support programs for start-ups and SMEs by developing an efficient and effective methodology that evaluates the impact of support programs on these actors.

The specific objectives are:

  • SO_1: Strengthen internal capacity and improve operating processes of innovation agencies in terms of impact assessment when evaluating support programs for start-ups and SMEs.
  • SO_2: Improve the quality of innovation agency support programs aimed at start-ups and SMEs through the application of peer learning outcomes by regional and national innovation support programs.
  • SO_3: Promote the technical knowledge of innovation agencies and improve referral through partner networks.
  • SO_4: Increase the added value of services for start-ups and SMEs who participate in support programs.

The general concept of EFFECT SME is based on the exchange of good practices and specific technical knowledge on the challenge of supporting innovation, monitoring and evaluating the impact of support programs for start-ups and SMEs. This will allow mutual learning of each of the project partners, but also the adaptation of the identified schemes to the specific national / regional environment of many more interested agencies outside the consortium and the improvement of the application of their evaluation culture / practice.

The project consortium will apply the Twinning + methodology through 3 interactive learning workshops focused on evaluating the impact of the support programs in force in the participating regions. It will work from the different perspectives of the three partners, combining different levels of experience, methodological approaches and a geographical balance. Desk research on available methodologies will complete the learning between partners.

The evaluation of the effectiveness of the support measures for start-ups and SMEs and the adaptation of the lessons learned will be taken into account for the modification of the current support programs for these companies.

The Design Option Paper (DOP) on the impact assessment will be the main output of the project. The innovative methodology developed during the project will be disseminated through numerous business support networks for subsequent exploitation by innovation agencies in Europe.

Impact indicators for Madrimasd

  • Feedback through KPIs such as the competitiveness of the company (new products and innovation) and the presence in the market (national and international) of Madrid companies.
  • Supervision of different indicators through its regional start-up acceleration programs and through the monitoring services of the Enterprise Europe Network.

Attached file: Design Option Paper: Enhancing and Facilitating Funding Evaluation and data Collection Techniques focused on Start-up/SME support programmes.